


The Raven Method

by dio_genes



Category: Minecraft (Video Game)
Genre: AU, Eeee, Fanfiction, Fantasy, I do what I want, I don't know what else to say, MCYT + more, Other, dreamnotfound, uh, whatever
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-26
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:20:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28333761
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dio_genes/pseuds/dio_genes
Summary: Dream has a motive. He has a purpose for being here, he just doesn't know what.He woke up covered in sand and blood. No recollection of his past memories, no idea who the people surrounding him are. The only thing he can rely on is the voice trapped in his head. And even in a world of magic and gods, imaginary voices aren't to be trusted.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 14





	The Raven Method

**Author's Note:**

> I heavily recommend reading this on a phone. I wrote this on a phone. It's designed to be read on a phone. If you don't wanna do that, have fun.

_...one hundred. _ He fell asleep.

\-- -- --

He woke up coughing. The sand coated Dream’s skin, his lungs, his throat dry, and blond hair damp. He pulled his arm away from his eyes. “The hell…?” Dream rasped, finding himself unable to comprehend his surroundings.

He spat blood out onto the sand next to him. The nausea spinning his vision dared Dream to stand. He accepted the challenge with open arms. “...Where?”

_ Wake up, asshole. _ Someone demanded, someone without his voice. Dream’s steps faltered.

He looked around, up at the blazing sun. Dream squinted to see between the shadows of the dense trees in the distance. He was completely alone.  _ I am awake. I’m awake. Right? _

_ Get up, Clay. _ It persisted.  _ Clay? I’m Clay. _ He knew that much. Step by step, the voice went quiet, Dream approached the forest. He coughed up blood again.

He surveyed his surroundings again. The movement of waves crashing against the shore captured his attention. A vague outline of a huge ship against the cloudless blue sky. Droplets of blood outlined his footprints. Dream looked down at the clothes he wore, all tattered and stained in crimson. A white t-shirt, beige pants, no shoes.

The dizziness returned. Dream clutched the nearest tree for support and vomited. There was nothing in his stomach. When he finished, he realized how hungry he was. How the clothes he wore were too large. How Dream was no more than a thin layer of skin stretched over bone.

Dream glanced through the sunlight filtered through the canopy of leaves overhead. He walked further, deeper into the forest until he could no longer hear the ocean. A path formed.

_ One more step. _ He lifted his foot, planted it, repeated the motion.  _ Step _ . Again. Dream's breathing grew irregular. Desperate. Even his lungs uncertain if they could continue working. His heart reluctant to continue beating.

A stone wall towered above him, an arch carved into it where the dirt transition to cobblestone. Two silhouettes of people stood on both sides. Dream found himself smiling with bloody teeth.

" Help?" He whispered and collapsed.  Dream heard footsteps rushing towards him before everything went black.

\-- -- --

Dream tumbled towards the surface of the water screaming. He squeezed his eyes shut, holding his breath. Moments of pure darkness passed as the waves above him settled. Dream opened his eyes, greeted by a distorted sun and an endless void encasing him. Dream inhaled. Exhaled.  _ In and out. _ He could breathe?

The water pressure increased while he sank, but otherwise, he felt like he was still above water.  _ Swim _ . His muscles wouldn’t listen. His fight or flight instinct refused to kick in. Dream’s limbs floated upwards, he watched helplessly as the sun got further and further. The abyss grew darker and darker. He became colder and colder.  _ Help? _

There was no light here. No warmth. No life. The void consumed him. He couldn’t see his hands outstretched in front of him. Dream’s body hit the sand. The water pressure started to crush him.

  
The sensation started off slow. A gentle push against his chest, like an animal curled up on top of him. It reminded Dream of falling asleep. Slow and sudden. 

He was shocked at just how  _ sudden _ . Too much. He released his final breath and struggled to inhale again. Dream’s lungs flattened by the water stacked above him. He screamed.

Darkness.

\-- -- --

"Do you know where you are?" A man spoke with a soft accent when Dream opened his eyes. Tidy, dark hair with silver-rimmed goggles. A raised scar across the bridge of his nose. Dream squinted at the fire from the lantern held above him by the man. He shook his head.

"This is the headquarters of Espea's Knights." Dream couldn't see the owner of the secondary voice. "Do you know what that is?" Dream shook his head once more.

The first man sat the lantern on the table by Dream's head. "Sit up for me." He nodded, hesitant to obey the orders. Dream waited for the pain, expected it, but it never came. "You are in Breuria, Sucrain."

_ Breuria... Sucrain.  _ Neither of those places Dream had heard of. Is this the land beyond the stone walls? He had a better view of the windowless view now, with his back against the bed's headboard.

The bottom half of the walls were covered in dark wooden panels. The top painted a richer shade of green than the forest he trekked through to get here. The light emitted from floating candles made the shadows bounce their reckless dance. His muscles relaxed, all panic in his mind ceased. Dream found comfort in the gray blanket that covered him. He watched the fireplace crackle from the corner. “Who…?” He mumbled.

“Captain William Gold of Espea’s Knights.” The second man said. He straightened the cuffs of his dark blue jacket, matching with the first man. William had the same dark hair, though curlier and messier than the other. “Everyone calls me Wilbur.”

“I’m George.” The first man said.

“ _ Captain _ George,” Wilbur corrected.

“Captain George… do you know where you’re from?” George asked. Dream shook his head. Do you know your name?”

_ Clay _ . _ My name is Clay. _ Something stopped him from forming the words. Instead, “Dream,” was his answer.

Wilbur couldn’t turn around before Dream noticed his mocking smile. “I will get Sapnap and Punz.”

“Sapnap and Punz?”  _ Strange names, _ Dream wondered, but Wilbur was already out the door. He lifted his hand to shade his eyes from the oncoming brightness.

George nodded, “Nicholas. He and Luke, Punz, brought you here.”

_ The silhouettes _ . He recalled. The events that unfolded to bring him here replayed in his mind. _ Footsteps. Darkness. _ Complete and total, one with no escape. He shivered. He  _ had _ escaped.

_ Blood. _ Dream looked at himself. His clothes were the same, still dirty and stained, but the skin beneath showed no signs of harm. None of the wounds, none of the pain. No proof of his injuries. “How?” He whispered.  _ Where did it go? _ Dream wasn’t sure of much, not anymore, but there were no scars.

“Luna is the Knights’ most skilled healer. We are lucky she wasn’t busy.” George sat in a rocking chair by the fireplace. He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, “Is there  _ anything _ you know?”

Dream shook his head. Something about George’s tone, his stance, Dream read the disappointment in the small frown on his face. He averted his stare, ashamed of himself for not remembering.  _ What is wrong with me? _

The door opened. A broken dam allowing light and people to flood in.  _ Five, _ he counted. At least he could do that. Wilbur, and four unfamiliar faces.

“He’s  _ still _ in those rags?” A girl, her long pink hair pulled into a braid with bangs across her forehead, turned to George. “Is this Espea’s Knights or another Ocri homeless shelter?”

“Oh, about that,” Wilbur picked up a neatly folded pile of clothes from the corner and placed them in Dream’s hands. “The bathroom is over there.” He gestured to a door Dream hadn’t noticed before.

A man with black hair and a mask covering the majority of his face spoke. “Don’t say it, Luna.” _ Luna. _ The man’s voice was deep, raspy, not expected of someone who’s mask reminded Dream of a purple rabbit.

The girl - Luna, it had to be - huffed. “Dream, this is Sapnap,” George began. A man with tousled brunet hair waved. “Luke.” One of the strangers had already made himself comfortable, leaning against the doorframe. Blond hair, blue eyes. “Corpse.” The masked one. “And… Luna.”

“Corpse.” Dream repeated. He knew the word, a synonym for dead body. A corpse. He wasn’t sure if it could be a name, but  _ Dream _ wasn’t meant to be a name, either.

Corpse nodded, “A nickname.”

“He won’t tell us his real name,” Punz said.

“You haven’t asked.”

Sapnap joined, “What’s your real name?”

Corpse shrugged.

“Put on actual clothes, thank you,” Luna demanded. Dream glanced at the clothes in his hands, forgetting they were there. A bundle of red and black and white, with traces of golden threads. He nodded, wondering what Luna would do if he didn’t listen. Dream hoped it wasn’t in her power to  _ undo _ the healing work she performed. He went into the bathroom, locking the door.

He blinked, adjusting to the change of lighting. The candles were replaced with bright lanterns, green walls now off-white. Wooden furniture now porcelain countertops. The only similarity was the lack of windows.

Dream looked at his reflection in the mirror. A vertical scar carved itself above his eyes. “That’s not supposed to be there…” He mumbled.  _ Was it? _ Where was it from? Why didn’t his other injuries leave a mark, but this one dead? He shrugged,  _ Maybe Luna just wasn’t that precise,  _ and tugged off his shirt.

_ Nothing more than skin and bones, _ the voice came back. Dream startled, nearly knocking over a plant in the corner. He took a deep breath. Dream stared at himself for the first time. How did he not know what he looked like before this? Wavy blond hair, tired green eyes. It was alarming… he didn’t picture himself this way. How did he see himself prior to this moment? Dream wanted to throw up again.

So he did, right into the sink basin below him. Dream kept a white-knuckled grip on the counter, stabilizing himself and blinking away the dizziness.  _ Fuck _ . The feeling developed into something worse than being drunk. He wasn’t sure how he knew that.

Dream pulled a white, long-sleeved shirt over his head. The sleeves hung off his wrists, almost like they were meant to be bell-shaped but didn’t fit him right. He slipped a long crimson coat on top of it, with black lapels and golden embroidery.

The only item that properly fit was the black pants. Dream took another look in the mirror. Other than the bruises under his eyes, he appeared… normal. Maybe he could blend in as just another citizen of Sucrain. Is that what he was expected to do?

He put on the black shoes, and stepped out the door again.

Everyone had shifted positions. George no longer sat in the rocking chair, Wilbur took that spot. George, Sapnap, and Punz stood talking to each other. Their voices low, their expressions serious. Luna sat by the fireplace, her hand moving up and down, the fire copying her motions. Dream watched for a second, entranced by a human’s ability to control the flames. It didn’t seem normal, but nobody questioned it. Corpse stood next to her.

_ Why won’t you wake up? _ The dismembered voice gained a feminine tone plagued with sadness. Why, though?

_ I’m awake, _ Dream responded. The voice didn’t return.  _ Why? _

A symphony of chaos erupted. A chorus of muffled screams and cries for help. The actions that followed were anything but hesitant. Reckless, afraid, everyone was out the door before Dream could exhale. An open corridor, lined with polished wood fencing greeted them. Their footsteps pounded against the wood beneath them. Dream stumbled over his own feet, regained his balance, and watched the sky turn gray.

Smoke. Giant pillars of dark smoke billowed into the sky. A fire caught to their right, swallowing the stand. Luna fell behind to calm the flames until water was draped over them. “It’s the Circle again, it has to be.” Wilbur yelled over the havoc encasing them.  _ The Circle? _

George issued a silent command towards Sapnap and Punz. They nodded, ducking left and splitting away from the rest of the group. Wilbur and George came to a halt in front of the stone arch carved into the walls. Dream stayed behind.

Men clothed in shining armor, with jackets similar to George and Wilbur’s, stood in formation. Swords in hand, facing the same threat. People…  _ not people _ . Humanoid… things, Dream couldn’t think of a better word. Some with ashen skin, others translucent. All had horns, the one in the middle with the largest. Blood stained their faces, their robes. Their fingers wrapped around burning torches. Dream took another step back.

“Cease fire, in the name of Ozoltl.” An old man with silver hair stood in front of the line, even Wilbur and George stayed behind him.

The woman in the middle stepped forward. The man held out his sword. “Do not bring our god into this. Is this not the city of sanctuary? We come seeking shelter, and you greet us with weapons.” Her hair the color of snow, tied into a loose ponytail over her shoulder. Her horns curled upwards, giving her a significant height advantage over everyone else.

“You come with fire in your hands and a history of murdering innocent people.” Dream assumed this man was the head of Espea’s Knights. “And you expect  _ mercy _ ?”

“We are starving.” The women gestured to those behind her. A group of creatures, upon closer inspection was… pathetic, not dangerous. The children weakened with sickness and adults in worse condition. Dream didn’t understand how they could have caused all of the destruction behind him. Just another thing to be confused about.

George shook his head, “ _ We _ are dying.”

“We aren’t the bad guys here.” The woman pleaded her case, but everyone else was done listening. The time for diplomacy ended with the lives of so many civilians. “Please, just-”

Luna acted first. Raging flames took their place on the ground by the creatures’ feet. Small children cried out in pain, lifted off of the ground by those who could. All screaming in agony. She snuffed the fire they carried themselves, their only weapons eliminated just like that. Dream found himself wondering if this could be considered a massacre. She was killing unarmed people. Some of which were younger than him.

_ No. Creatures. _ The term ‘massacre’ could only apply to  _ humans. _ Not whatever dared to challenge their city. Luna was doing the right thing, she was helping Breuria.  _ Why is that the right thing? _

All Dream knew of the city was that it’s protectors gave him safety. Two knights dragged him into the walls instead of leaving him to die.  _ This is a good place. _

The woman acted with haste. Luna’s power all but spent.  _ Luna is our more skilled healer. _ George had said. Yet, Dream watched  _ healer _ turn to  _ ruthless killer _ without reluctance.

Somebody in the group of monsters begged,  _ Aesira, don’t. _ Aesira?  _ The woman. _ Dream concluded. It was too late. Dream noticed the glint of silver in the faint sun the same time as everyone else. The blade had already left her hand.

And entered the old man’s heart.

“Lieutenant!” George held onto the man, lowering him to the ground gently. “Where’s Luna?”

The flames weren’t extinguished, yet Luna and Corpse were nowhere to be seen. Everybody looked around, even the uniform knights broke formation to find her. They had disappeared without a trace, leaving the elderly man to bleed out. The Lieutenant.

_ The Lieutenant. _ Dream’s thoughts were seized by an unknown force.  _ Lieutenant Kaltain. No. _ He shoved people out of the way, aware of the attention he had brought upon himself. The eyes that watched him kneel on the cobblestones next to Lieutenant Kaltain. Both humans and creatures stopped. George and Wilbur moved away.

Wilbur shouted, a blur of metal passed Dream’s vision. Smoke filled his nose, entering his lungs. He screamed. His thoughts, his actions, all uncontrollable.

Darkness penetrated the sky. No longer did the brilliant blue peak through the clouds of smoke. Dream’s unknown pain created night in the midst of day.  _ Why? _ He knew this man. He  _ knew _ Lieutenant Kaltain. _ How? _ The sun became nothing more than a yellow circle interrupting the darkness.  _ His _ darkness. Shadows engulfed everything. Even the creatures cowered in fear of what Dream had done.

What  _ had _ he done?

_ He’s stirring. _ The voice echoed, the sky turned blue again.

Aesira fell dead, trails of crimson blood snaked down her face. It wasn’t long before Dream followed, numb before he hit the ground.


End file.
